NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the West Coast

Redmond is the best all-round city for new graduates in the West Coast, with a score of 81 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Redmond, WA: 81 / 100
  • #2 Long Beach, CA: 69 / 100
  • #3 Santa Ana, CA: 68 / 100
  • 36 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Redmond WA81 / 100
  2. 2Long Beach CA69 / 100
  3. 3Santa Ana CA68 / 100
  4. 4San Francisco CA66 / 100
  5. 5Torrance CA63 / 100
  6. 6Sacramento CA61 / 100
  7. 7El Segundo CA60 / 100
  8. 8Los Angeles CA58 / 100
  9. 9Sunnyvale CA58 / 100
  10. 10Newark CA54 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Redmond leads on 81 / 100, and #10 Newark is at 54 / 100.
  • Newark reaches #10 on a sample of 130 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 11,798 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

New graduates need a place with many entry-level roles, pay that covers the cost of living and employers that state their pay. This list weighs those together and shows the weights, so it ranks the all-round picture rather than one number.

How to use it

Start with the top ten and read each city's numbers against what you value most. If one thing matters most to you, such as pay, switch to the single-measure list for it.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Redmond WA

    81 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $195k
    Entry-level openings
    400

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  2. 2

    Long Beach CA

    69 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Entry-level openings
    271

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 840 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  3. 3

    Santa Ana CA

    68 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $155k
    Entry-level openings
    86

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  4. 4

    San Francisco CA

    66 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    20%
    Pay after cost of living
    $186k
    Entry-level openings
    2,312

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 11,798 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  5. 5

    Torrance CA

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $150k
    Entry-level openings
    194

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 735 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  6. 6

    Sacramento CA

    61 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Entry-level openings
    456

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 1,364 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  7. 7

    El Segundo CA

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    27%
    Pay after cost of living
    $144k
    Entry-level openings
    255

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 949 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  8. 8

    Los Angeles CA

    58 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $134k
    Entry-level openings
    1,319

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 5,126 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  9. 9

    Sunnyvale CA

    58 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    21%
    Pay after cost of living
    $190k
    Entry-level openings
    323

    Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Wayve, Amazon

    Based on 1,556 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sunnyvale

  10. 10

    Newark CA

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $155k
    Entry-level openings
    33

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies

    Based on 130 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  11. 11

    Irvine CA

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Entry-level openings
    381

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive

    Based on 1,503 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Irvine

  12. 12

    Seattle WA

    53 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    23%
    Pay after cost of living
    $162k
    Entry-level openings
    1,216

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,343 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  13. 13

    Palo Alto CA

    53 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    21%
    Pay after cost of living
    $184k
    Entry-level openings
    264

    Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care

    Based on 1,237 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Palo Alto

  14. 14

    San Mateo CA

    53 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    16%
    Pay after cost of living
    $203k
    Entry-level openings
    147

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 894 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Mateo

  15. 15

    Corona CA

    53 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $102k
    Entry-level openings
    48

    Hiring most here: Monster Energy Company, Lubrizol, Gallagher

    Based on 143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Corona

  16. 16

    Fremont CA

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $156k
    Entry-level openings
    119

    Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Coherent, LAM Research

    Based on 470 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fremont

  17. 17

    Everett WA

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $169k
    Entry-level openings
    46

    Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower

    Based on 186 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Everett

  18. 18

    San Jose CA

    51 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    20%
    Pay after cost of living
    $180k
    Entry-level openings
    486

    Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems

    Based on 2,379 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Jose

  19. 19

    Renton WA

    51 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    28%
    Pay after cost of living
    $144k
    Entry-level openings
    37

    Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels

    Based on 130 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Renton

  20. 20

    San Carlos CA

    50 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $176k
    Entry-level openings
    46

    Hiring most here: 1X Technologies, Joby Aviation, Natera

    Based on 210 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Carlos

  21. 21

    Alameda CA

    50 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    24%
    Pay after cost of living
    $171k
    Entry-level openings
    45

    Hiring most here: Saildrone, Penumbra, Kairos Power

    Based on 189 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Alameda

  22. 22

    Kirkland WA

    50 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $160k
    Entry-level openings
    40

    Hiring most here: Echodyne, Amazon, Google

    Based on 158 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kirkland

  23. 23

    Mountain View CA

    49 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    14%
    Pay after cost of living
    $193k
    Entry-level openings
    206

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google

    Based on 1,515 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mountain View

  24. 24

    Portland OR

    47 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    29%
    Pay after cost of living
    $119k
    Entry-level openings
    231

    Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear

    Based on 792 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Portland

  25. 25

    Santa Clara CA

    47 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    17%
    Pay after cost of living
    $188k
    Entry-level openings
    262

    Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon

    Based on 1,530 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Clara

Full ranking

All 36 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Redmond WA81 / 1001,147
2Long Beach CA69 / 100840
3Santa Ana CA68 / 100258
4San Francisco CA66 / 10011,798
5Torrance CA63 / 100735
6Sacramento CA61 / 1001,364
7El Segundo CA60 / 100949
8Los Angeles CA58 / 1005,126
9Sunnyvale CA58 / 1001,556
10Newark CA54 / 100130
11Irvine CA54 / 1001,503
12Seattle WA53 / 1005,343
13Palo Alto CA53 / 1001,237
14San Mateo CA53 / 100894
15Corona CA53 / 100143
16Fremont CA52 / 100470
17Everett WA52 / 100186
18San Jose CA51 / 1002,379
19Renton WA51 / 100130
20San Carlos CA50 / 100210
21Alameda CA50 / 100189
22Kirkland WA50 / 100158
23Mountain View CA49 / 1001,515
24Portland OR47 / 100792
25Santa Clara CA47 / 1001,530
26San Diego CA44 / 1003,085
27Bellevue WA44 / 1001,396
28Milpitas CA43 / 100257
29Redwood City CA41 / 100471
30Pleasanton CA40 / 100174
31Foster City CA39 / 100520
32Oakland CA36 / 100581
33Menlo Park CA36 / 100437
34Newport Beach CA28 / 100286
35Santa Monica CA27 / 100307
36Berkeley CA21 / 100238

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for new graduates in the west coast?
Redmond is the best all-round city for new graduates in the West Coast, with a score of 81 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
36 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 36 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for new graduates in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-west-coast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-west-coast">Best all-round cities for new graduates in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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